By Patrichia Boateng, Accra
A new media guide aimed at strengthening journalists’ capacity to investigate illicit financial flows (IFFs), tax justice, and domestic resource mobilisation was launched in Accra.
The event, brought together editors, media practitioners, civil society groups, and states institutions in a joint push to enhance transparency, accountability and financial justice in Ghana.
The new guide aims to equip journalists to expose and report on these losses by providing a framework for understanding financial crime in the Ghanaian context, outlining relevant laws, and offering guidance on data sourcing, ethics and investigative methods.
The guide, developed by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) in partnership with Oxfam in Ghana, is the product of three years of collaboration under the Tax for Development project, which is funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD). The initiative supports journalists with tools and and ethical guidelines to report on complex financial crimes that continue to drain the country’s public resources.
Mr Mohammed-Anwar Sadat Adam, Country Director of Oxfam in Ghana, said Ghana loses between $1.4 billion and $3 billion annually due to IFFs—figures that, if retained, could transform sectors such as education, health, and social protection.
The new guide aims to equip journalists to expose and report on these losses by providing a framework for understanding financial crime in the Ghanaian context, outlining relevant laws, and offering guidance on data sourcing, ethics, and investigative methods.
The director said Ghana loses between $1.4 billion and $3 billion annually due to IFFs—figures that, if retained, could transform sectors such as education, health, and social protection,
The final remarks came from Rosemond Ebi-Adwo Aryeetey, Senior Programme Manager at MFWA, who explained that the guide addresses the knowledge gap among journalists regarding IFFs and their impact on national development.
“Many people don’t feel the effects of illicit financial flows directly, but it shows in the underfunding of our hospitals, schools, and roads,” Aryeetey said. “The media must use this guide to educate, investigate, and hold power to account.”
speaking at the launch, Rebecca Ekpe, Vice President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), described the guide as a critical tool for journalists striving to their mandate.
“lFFS and tax evasion deprive Ghana of vital resources,” she said. “This guide empowers the media to uncover the truth, amplify the voices of the voiceless and also drive meaningful change.
Mr Ernest Owusu Addo, a member of the National Media Commission (NMC), underscored the importance of implementation, cautioning that “no document, no matter how robust, will change our fortunes if it remains on the shelf.
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